Conference Day Two
Thursday, October 30, 2025
7:30 am Coffee & Registration
8:25 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
From ‘Stop-the-Clock’ to Strategic Clarity: Future-Proofing ESG Reporting & Accountability
8:30 am Navigating EU Regulatory Shifts: Strategy, Prioritization & Data Management
Synopsis
• Navigating EU Regulatory Shifts: Strategy, Prioritization, & Data Management
• Reassessing ESG strategies and reallocating resources in response to evolving regulatory requirements like CSRD
• Determining which workstreams to continue, pause, or adjust-balancing data collection efforts with broader business priorities
• Gaining insights from ESG controllers and legal counsel on justifications for maintaining or pausing initiatives and how data improvements are leveraged to drive additional value
• Exploring best ways to prepare for CSRD and ISSB-considering interoperability, team structure, data collection, and role-specific controls for different reporting requirements
9:00 am Panel Discussion Led by AeroSafe Global
9:30 am Future-Proof Reporting: Lessons from Wave 1 & Preparing for the Road to 2028
Synopsis
• Exploring approaches to the early stages of CSRD reporting, addressing double materiality assessments, and closing qualitative gaps
• Learning what tools, systems, and cross-functional partnerships (especially with compliance and finance) are working best to support credible, scalable reporting
• Analyzing first-year reporting challenges, common pitfalls, lessons learned, and tips to optimize future reporting
10:00 am Mapping Cross-Functional Reporting Ownership & Structuring for Long-Term Compliance
Synopsis
• Assigning internal ownership of EU regulatory reporting-whether under ESG, finance, legal, or hybrid governance structures
• Improving collaboration between sustainability, legal, compliance, and corporate audit teams is being operationalized to meet reporting requirements
• Gaining insights from companies creating governance frameworks to manage complex reporting requirements with clarity, efficiency, and cross-functional buy-in
10:30 am Morning Break & Networking
11:30 am Roundtable Discussion: Culture Shift From The Inside Out: Building Employee Buy-In & Changing Sustainability Mindsets at Scale
Synopsis
• Educating and engaging employees at all levels-especially in the face of scepticism or resistance-to embed sustainability into everyday thinking
• Learning practical strategies for identifying and empowering internal champions, even when bandwidth and incentives are limited
• Navigating cultural pushback to turn sustainability from a “nice-to-have” into a shared organizational value
12:00 pm Session Led by Sustainability Roundtable
12:10 pm Reporting-Ready: Building Internal Systems, Education, and Accountability for Auditable ESG Reporting
Synopsis
• Explaining how to collect, structure, and validate data to meet CSRD standards-and set your reporting up, ready for audit from the start
• Showcasing tools, systems, and internal processes that leading companies are using to streamline documentation and collaboration across teams
• Educating legal, audit, compliance, and commercial teams to share ownership and deliver aligned, high-quality disclosures
12:40 pm Panel Discussion: Strategic ESG Reporting in the Interim – Making the Most of the Next Few Years Amid Regulatory Ambiguity
Synopsis
• Discovering how to maintain momentum in ESG reporting and decision-making despite uncertainty around CSRD timelines, the Omnibus bill, and shifting U.S. policies
• Exploring strategies for resourcing “light” vs “robust” reports, and learn how to prioritize data and systems investment for long-term value
• Learning how to use the lead-up to 2028 as a strategic runway-clarifying stakeholder expectations, identifying reporting gaps, and advocating for targeted resource allocation
1:10 pm Lunch & Networking
Bridging Expectations & Solutions: Advancing Carbon Reduction Through Cross-Industry Collaboration
2:10 pm Understanding & Acting on Product Sustainability Data: What Customers Need & Why
Synopsis
• Examining why customers are requesting detailed product carbon and sustainability data-beyond scope 3 reporting-and how they intend to use it for strategic decision-making
• Discussing the implications of data transparency on supplier engagement, target-setting, and purchasing decisions
• Exploring how companies can prepare to answer customer queries effectively, anticipate the impact of high product footprint numbers, and align sustainability efforts with buyer expectations
2:40 pm Creating Scalable, Standardized Carbon Data for Product Portfolios: Challenges & Innovations
Synopsis
• Delving into the difficulties manufacturers face in generating product-level carbon footprints and sustainability metrics amid inconsistent methodologies and varying industry standards
• Showcasing how to tackle data collection at scale-whether through bespoke frameworks, multi-attribute sustainability reporting, or partial standardization approaches
• Discussing design-for-sustainability practices, lifecycle assessments (LCA), and integrating sustainability leadership into product development cycles
Tackling Decarbonization & Scope 3 Reporting: Enhancing Stakeholder Engagement & Data Accuracy
3:10 pm Roundtable Discussion: Beyond Spend-Based Metrics: Advancing Scope 3 Absolute Reduction Targets
Synopsis
• Exploring challenges in setting and achieving scope 3 absolute carbon reduction targets, moving beyond traditional spend-based calculations
• Discussing strategies for obtaining better, supplier-specific data to improve accuracy, granularity, and quality of emissions accounting across complex supply chains
• Integrating partner reductions and evolving carbon accounting frameworks
3:40 pm Afternoon Break & Networking
4:10 pm From Targets to Action: Overcoming the Challenges of Decarbonization in Complex Operations
Synopsis
• Understanding the gap between setting ambitious emission reduction targets and the practical challenges of decarbonizing difficult areas like lab and chemical analysis equipment
• Showcasing how companies are developing roadmaps and trade-off strategies to tackle the hardest parts of decarbonization within manufacturing and supply chains
• Learning how to build a compelling business case that balances regulatory uncertainty, short-term pressures, and long-term sustainability goals
4:40 pm Panel Discussion: Greener Graduates – Building a Workforce Prepared for Sustainable Science
Synopsis
• Explore how transforming chemistry curricula in higher education to include green chemistry principles can bridge the gap between academia and industry sustainability expectations
• Understand what life sciences companies are looking for in the next generation of scientists-and how educational institutions can evolve to meet those needs
• What can companies do to activate change within academia to promote a sustainability mindset?